MoD pays £210,000 for abuse by Army Cadet officer

We recently succeeded in a claim against the Ministry of Defence for sexual abuse by one of their employees. Our client was sexually abused by her Adult Instructor whilst she was a member of the Army Cadets. The abuse commenced when our client was 14 years old and progressed to rape.

During the period of abuse, our client developed psychological problems, depressive symptoms and panic attacks as a result of which her social development was significantly damaged. Following the abuse, she suffered from chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic dysthymia and a number of complex psychological problems which caused her distress and affected her life adversely. The abuse occurred at a vital time not only in our client’s personal but also in her educational development. She was distracted from her education by the abuse and also physically removed from school by her abuser on many occasions, which resulted in her performing poorly at school and not being able to continue with further education. Our client’s ambition from a young age was to join the Army and be an officer in the Royal Military Police. This was made completely impossible by the abuse as a result of which she could no longer have anything to do with the Army as this was one of the triggers from her post-traumatic panic symptoms and distress.

The Ministry of Defence admitted liability at an early stage and upon receipt of our medical and employment evidence, which was very supportive of our client’s claim, settled the claim for £210,000. Our client was very happy with this settlement as it would allow her to receive treatment and secure a better future for her.